Maaaaaaaarten wrote:I don't know. I don't really think the Olympic road race is that prestigious. The Olympics have no history in cycling. To be honest, I think I'd rather win a LBL than an Olympic RR.

But you're looking at it for a purely cycling perspective. Only people who know about cycling knows what LBL is. But everybody knows what an Olympic gold medal is. Even if you think that LBL has more prestige within cycling (personally I don't), there is no comparison in prestige in the eyes of the wider world.

Parker wrote:But you're looking at it for a purely cycling perspective. Only people who know about cycling knows what LBL is. But everybody knows what an Olympic gold medal is. Even if you think that LBL has more prestige within cycling (personally I don't), there is no comparison in prestige in the eyes of the wider world.

Why should we care what those who do not care about cycling think about the relative importance of LBL and the Olympic gold medal?

retzko wrote:That ain't true .... not even close.... Recently with Gilbert its got a boost. I the walloon area people riding their bike for pleasure is rather rare and even rarer to go to the market or home /work. they got a lot less viewers( even relative) then cycling got in flanders on TV.

They have tradition .... but not 1/2 of flanders in terms of intensity or broad popularity. With Gilbert cycling is the second sport but before tennis with henin was more popular and autosport is also very popular but they dont have no real hero s anymore in that sport.

A Dutch and a Flemish making that statement: biased at best, cheap shot, insulting at worst. Worth nothing.

BTW, had Clijsters been as good as Justine, maybe ratings/popularity would have been better for tennis in Flanders

I don't think there's less cycling CULTURE in either part of Belgium. It goes without saying that when you get local champions, popularity increases. See ratings on French TV for this year's TdF, ratings in the US when LA was winning. Duh...

Parker wrote:But you're looking at it for a purely cycling perspective. Only people who know about cycling knows what LBL is. But everybody knows what an Olympic gold medal is. Even if you think that LBL has more prestige within cycling (personally I don't), there is no comparison in prestige in the eyes of the wider world.

Well sure, I'm only looking at it from a cycling perspective, but I think most professional cyclists might be looking from a cycling perspective too.

For me it's Olympic RR < Monuments =/< WC RR

I feel the WC RR is a kind of primus inter pares though; I don't really feel that it's above the monuments. And different editions of the WC are very different in prestige. I mean:
Cavendish winning MSR >>>>> Cavendish winning a random boring race in Denmark

But more on-topic. Vino being processed for corruption is ridiculous. Also, sure Vino is a thug, but he's also a legend. In 20 years everybody will still be talking about Vino and this forum will still have a Vino option at every poll.

The Olympics are the only race where you represent your country, apart from the WC. Apart from the team sizes, they're a bit the same, except the Olympics are once every 4 years. I'd take an Olympic gold medal over a rainbow jersey any day.

Maaaaaaaarten wrote:But more on-topic. Vino being processed for corruption is ridiculous. Also, sure Vino is a thug, but he's also a legend. In 20 years everybody will still be talking about Vino and this forum will still have a Vino option at every poll.

Maaaaaaaarten wrote:Well sure, I'm only looking at it from a cycling perspective, but I think most professional cyclists might be looking from a cycling perspective too.

For me it's Olympic RR < Monuments =/< WC RR

I feel the WC RR is a kind of primus inter pares though; I don't really feel that it's above the monuments. And different editions of the WC are very different in prestige. I mean:Cavendish winning MSR >>>>> Cavendish winning a random boring race in Denmark

But more on-topic. Vino being processed for corruption is ridiculous. Also, sure Vino is a thug, but he's also a legend. In 20 years everybody will still be talking about Vino and this forum will still have a Vino option at every poll.

Uran got a bigger reception in Colombia for his silver than he would for winning 10 straight LBL's. A gold and he'd have a statue by now (just like the previous Olympic champion has in Oviedo. Who ever got a statue for LBL?)

The Father of Clean Cycling, Christophe Bassons wrote:When I look at cycling today, I get the impression that history is repeating itself: riders who are supposed to be rouleurs are climbing passes at the front of the race, and those who are supposed to be climbers are riding time trials at more than 50 kilometres per hour.

I didn't know about the situation in Colombia. If it's like that, indeed Uran wouldn't be very likely to sell the Olympics.

But certainly from a cycling perspective - and maybe I'm biased with a Dutch/Belgian perspective -, I feel the monuments are more prestigious, than the Olympic RR. There are few cycling greats on the list of past winners of the Olympic RR. But of course, it's also growing. If you look at the list of winners of the Olympics, you get Ulrich, Bettini, Sanchez, Vino as the last four, which might as well have been the list of winners from some big classic. But when you go further back, you will see it lacks history, compared to the monuments.

Also, just looking at some past winners of the Olympic RR, I saw Hennie Kuijper as one of the few big names from way back. He's also won the WC RR and every monument except LBL. I'm sure he would have traded his Olympic RR for a LBL any day of the week.

MatParker117 wrote:Cav would of been knighted had he pulled it off on The Mall about the only thing he didn't get for Copenhagen.

MSR >>>>>>>>>> WC in Copenhagen/OG RR

It doesn't get you knighted by a queen who probably doesn't care about cycling, but it should get you more respect from cycling fans.

But on-topic; indeed, I might have been thinking too much about purely cycling related prestige, but considering the reception Uran would have gotten in Colombia, it is indeed unlikely for him to sell it.